1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a statistics recording and calculating device and, in particular, to a device for calculating and recording the play statistics of a football game.
2. Brief Statement of the Prior Art
Some prior attempts have been made to aid the task of keeping statistics of a football game, however, these attempts have not been totally successful. A game indicator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 546,959 to record the down and field position. An attempt was made to measure yardage with a slide rule device in U.S. Pat. No. 1,736,603. A prior patent of mine, U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,264, discloses and claims an effective device for calculating and recording the yardage statistics of a football game.
Statisticians, coaches, reporters, as well as fans listening to the game on radio or watching it on television often desire an accurate and instantaneous indication of the play statistics that have transpired of such statistics which are desired are those which relate to: (1) number and type of rushing plays; (2) number and types of passing plays; (3) number and type of first downs; (4) number of successful and unsuccessful third and fourth downs conversions attempts for a first down; (5) number of drives and how they end; (6) number and types of successful and unsuccessful extra point attempts; (7) number and types of punts and number of opponent punt runbacks; (8) number and types of kickoffs and number of opponent kickoff runbacks; (9) number of fumbles and how many were recovered and how many were lost; and (10) number of penalties on defense and offense. Additionally it is desirable to know the down and the number of plays in the current drive, and number of plays in previous drives.
Many of the foregoing statistics are of interest to indicate a team's progress; to compare its performance to that of its opponent during the game; to compare to the team's season statistics to date; and/or to compare to football statistics, in general. Two examples will illustrate the importance of accurate and complete statistics that are readily available. In example one, a team has its quarterback sacked for a loss on six occasions in the first half of a game. In itself this is certainly a negative statistic for that team. It becomes of more significance when compared with the opponent whose quarterback was not sacked, and in fact scrambled for a gain on three occasions during the first half. The six sacks become very significant when viewed from the fact that this offensive line had only allowed their quarterback to be sacked 8 times in the previous 5 games of the season. The efforts of today's opponent, and particularly of their defensive lineman in rushing the passer, are worthy of note. In another example, a team completes completes 18 of 20 attempted passes in the first half. This statistic is remarkable in itself. It is of interest when compared to the opponent's 2 completions in 14 attempts with 1 interception. It is of unusual recognition when viewed from the fact that this team had only completed 33 passes out of 99 attempts in the 5 games of the season. In both of the foregoing examples, there was no indication prior to the game that such unusual statistics would occur, particularly in view of the teams' season statistics to date. Much of the interest in listening to or viewing the game is lost if the statistical information is lacking. Great amounts of time, money and space are allocated to publishing a teams' season to date statistics and announcers and commentators are generally supplied with an abundance of pregame information. When this is coupled with accurate and readily available statistics during a game, the game itself is enhanced greatly.
While all of these statistics can be achieved by routine recording during the football game by a sufficient number of assistants, the sequence of events which occur during a game often happen too rapidly for an accurate recording of these statistics by a single person. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a device to facilitate the chronological recording and calculating of statistics during a football game whereby a single person can record and instantaneously read out an accurate summary of plays, drive yards, and other statistics, and the sequence in which they occurred.
A device of the aforementioned character could also be utilized as a game during a live or delayed broadcast by permitting two or more contestants to check pre-game predictions or wagers by recording and indicating more accurate and complete statistical information than presently reported during the video or radio broadcasting of a football game. Broadcasters and commentators, during present television and radio coverage of a football game, often mention various statistics during the game, or at halftime, or after the game. However, these statistics are usually incomplete or quickly announced, or often eliminated to provide time for advertising, interviews, or other general interest information. There is often a similar lack of complete statistics in newspaper sports sections.